At the mere mention of spring, my husband pulls on shorts and my kids start asking when the outdoor swimming pools are going to open. The mercury in the thermometer is creeping up (well…actually, the numbers on the digital weather station in the kitchen are increasing…modern day stuff, you know) and despite the snow that still blankets the nearby mountains, the kids are begging to eat outside.

For our first outdoor picnic of the year, I wanted something easy. A dish we could scoop into bowls and cup in our hands as we nestled together on our threadbare picnic blanket sounded perfect. That’s how this quick and easy ravioli, tossed with sun-dried tomatoes, arugula and hazelnuts came to be.

Dreaming up our first picnic meal of the season came rather easily. There was a supply of Monterey Gourmet Foods™ products sitting in my fridge, set aside for a day when I wanted something really tasty that didn’t require a lot of energy or brainpower to make. Thinking of what to make for dinner really is half the battle, isn’t it?

With a base of Roasted Chicken and Mozzarella Ravioli to work from, the pieces started to fall into place without much effort. I could have easily tossed the ravioli with some of Monterey Gourmet Foods Basil, Almond and Pine Nut Pesto and some fresh vegetables for a delicious, healthy meal. However, pesto had been on the menu the night before and I wanted something a little different.

Once the ravioli was cooked, having transformed into tender pillows of pasta, I gently tossed it with the arugula mixture.

That was it.

All that was left was garnishing the dish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, dishing it out into bowls and carrying it out to Station Picnic in the backyard.

Not only was this dish kid-friendly, but the flavors worked so well together that my husband and I decided we would proudly serve this meal at a dinner party with friends.

Looking through the Monterey Gourmet Foods website, I realized there were at least a dozen products I wanted to try, ones that would be appropriate for Meatless Monday meals as well as future picnics. My husband has his eye on the Butternut Squash Ravioli while I keep coming back to the gnocchi and tapenade. So many options…

With our focus on healthy eating, I am thrilled that Monterey Gourmet Foods adheres to their 8 All Natural Principles, which include a commitment to NOT using hydrogenated oils or artificial chemically manufactured additives, and ONLY using meat and dairy products from cows that are not treated with hormones or antibiotics.

The recipe:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the ravioli and cook according package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the ravioli.

While the ravioli is cooking, stir together the sun-dried tomatoes, hazelnuts, arugula, salt and pepper in a large serving bowl.

Drizzle in olive oil and gently toss to combine.

Add the ravioli to the sun-dried tomato mixture and toss gently to combine. You may want to use your hands to avoid ripping the ravioli. Serve and garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

The giveaway:
To be entered for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card and VIP coupons for a free Monterey Gourmet Foods product, courtesy of Monterey Gourmet Foods and BlogHer, please answer this question in the comment section:

What would you make using a Monterey Gourmet Foods pasta or sauce product? (If you’d also like to share a recipe, feel free to post it on your blog/website and include a link to it in your comment.)

SWEEPSTAKES/GIVEAWAY RULES:
No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 4/11/2012-5/31/2012.

Be sure to visit the Monterey Gourmet Foods page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

When I eat raviolis, I like sticking to lighter toppings and sauces too in order to let the ravioli flavor come out – these bowls of raviolis look awesome. Raviolis have been one of my favorites since I was a kid and I’ve always relied on store-bought, so it’d be interedting to check out some of the Monterey varieties.

I would try out one of their pasta’s and make what I have on the Menu tonight; A Light Tarragon & Mint Pea sauced chicken pasta with green beans and Roasted Broccoli =) My family Hates peas, so I thought for a new introduction to Tarragon and peas, this might be a winner (I hope I’m right!)

First, I think your family is adorable and what a view you got there, it’s incredible! Confession: once in awhile I will make especially ravioli out of the freezer. It’s quick and delicious & no fuss. I was laughing how your hubs is eager to get into Spring mode if we were living there we would still be wrapped in blankets!

A really amazing combo of flavors, Dara. I love the peppery taste of arugula and try to sneak it into as many recipes as possible. I can just imagine how fabulous it was with this beautiful ravioli and the other ingredients. Well done.

I’d also go with the Rainbow Five-cheese Tortellini and toss it with basil pesto, pine nuts and chicken that has been pan-sauteed in olive oil and garlic with some dry white cooking wine poured over it once it’s done cooking. Probably add some shredded Parm or Romano, drizzle of lemon juice. Maybe add some sauteed veggies if I felt like it, too! Served with homemade garlic bread, of course.

Hmm, too many options. I get mushrooms from my work on a regular basis, so I think the mushroom and 4 cheese ravioli with asparagus and extra mushrooms sound tasty. I’m bad with sauces so that part is yet to be determined.

I love ravioli anything, but right now I am trying different recipes with tortellini. Last week I made a 5 cheese tortellini soup with chicken and spinach. It got rave reviews. Experimenting is always interesting. Hard to go wrong.

It would be delicious to swap out the arugula and hazelnuts for a little basil and pine nuts too for a little caprese style ravioli salad. Although those ravioli certainly look good enough to eat all by their little lonesome!

We often have packaged ravioli in the fridge for a quick meal and I love what you did with it! Sundried tomatoes and arugula are a fabulous and perfect go-to pairing, but I love the addition of crunchy hazlenuts! And what i wouldn’t give to try this Roasted Chicken & Mozz ravioli! Sounds so good! And how about tossing the arugula into a pan with a dash of olive oil and the sundried tomatoes just to heat through and wilt, soften the tomatoes a bit and stir in cream and a bit of parmesan to make a hot, creamy sauce? Maybe add a few roasted cherry tomatoes? Oh my now I am hungry!

I seriously want to try out the Roasted Chicken & Mozzarella Ravioli, they look delicious, I’d add them to my home made arrabbitta sauce along with a salad and bread and that would make an awesome meal for me & hubby

I would use the Chicken and Mozzarella ravioli and add sautéed asparagus and toasted slivered almonds and a dusting of parmigiano reggiano cheese. I’d pair it with a grilled romaine salad dressed with homemade ranch dressing and roasted tomatoes. Folk Machine Pinot Noir to drink! Cheers!

Even though my family loves pasta, I’ve discovered I can sometimes use rice in place of pasta and they love it too. Especially brown and wild rice. Recently I paired alfredo sauce with brown rice and grilled scallops and it was out of this world! I would love to try Monterey Gourmet Foods Alfredo sauce in my recipes.

Dinner last night – perfect super easy Sunday night! I’m using my arugula in reverse – I bought it a week ago for the Tilapia recipe, which we’re having tonight. LOVE LOVE LOVE when you post recipes that help me use up ingredients I purchased for other recipes
Cheers!

I think i would make some type of yummy salad to go with the pasta and add a mild cream sauce to go with it. I don’t really use recipes any more…
Thanks for a chance to win and have a great day!
kmassmanATgmailDOTcom

This brand of pasta looks amazing! And from your pictures, it also looks like it really fills you up after eating. I’ve been looking for a good lasagna recipe, but I think I would like some of the Monterey Gourmet pasta and use it to make a lasagna casserole. Thanks for the chance to win!

It’s been awhile since I bought fresh pasta. These ravioli look fantastic! I would want to try this recipe or a similar one, something with a light sauce or light toppings, so that the ravioli really shine.